PATHOLOGY SCREENING

The eye can be affected in a number of systemic diseases. Problems in the eye may be a first presentation of the systemic disease or patients with known systemic problems may need to have their eyes specifically checked for complications.

Fundus photography is the creation of a photograph of the interior surface of the eye, including the retina, optic disc, macula, and posterior pole.

Fundus photography is used by optometrists, ophthalmologists, and trained medical professionals for monitoring progression of a disease, diagnosis of a disease (combined with retinal angiography), or in screening programs and epidemiology.

Compared to ophthalmoscopy, fundus photography generally needs a considerably larger instrument, but has the advantage of availing the image to be examined by a specialist at another location and/or time, as well as providing photo documentation for future reference. Modern fundus photographs generally recreate considerably larger areas of the fundus than what can be seen at any one time with handheld ophthalmoscopes.